Voter Turnout

It may have been a tiny turnout, but Burbank voters on Tuesday sent Measure S -- the $110-million school bond -- well above the 55% approval threshold needed to pass. Of the 6,595 votes counted, 4,053, or 61.5%, were in favor of the bond, according to the Los Angeles city clerk's office , which administered the election. PHOTOS: Supporters of Measure S gather at Burbank's Gordon Biersch during election night Burbank has 61,153 registered voters. But low voter turnout was expected, given that interest in the Los Angeles Community College District board of trustees election is typically tepid at best.

BURBANK ? Dellie Hahn went out to the polls on Tuesday to bring back leadership to the governor's office, she said. "I've never missed an election in my life and I'm 86 years old," the Burbank resident said. "And I want very much to see [Arnold] Schwarzenegger out." But Hahn was one of few exercising her right to vote Tuesday, as business was slow at many of the city's designated polling spots for Tuesday's primary election. "We've had some spurts here and there, but it's been a pretty low voter turnout," said Yvette Laduke, an voting inspector at Burbank City Hall.

Why people choose to show up to the polls — or choose not to — is almost as varied as the people themselves. Some can’t find the time, some don’t like any of the choices, and others just don’t care. The recent nastiness in the 43rd Assembly special election certainly did not help things, and I predict that the blizzard of mud sure to come as the next round of balloting approaches in June will only depress turnout further. But, I will admit, voter apathy is talked about so often and so frequently that many people just tune it out. A different idea is needed.

Of the 10 precincts with the highest voter turnout in Burbank’s primary election, eight were from the hillside area, and the two City Council candidates remaining on the April 12 ballot have taken notice of that fact. Voter participation in the February primary fell 6% to 14.3%, the lowest point in recent years, according to city clerk records. With voter apathy reaching new heights, the two run-off candidates have mostly focused their campaigns on what likely will be a small pool of voters.

I believe that an electorate that votes for candidates without knowing who they are or what they stand for is harmful to the democratic process of voting. In the case of the current slate of candidates in the upcoming Burbank election, it is very difficult for voters to get pertinent information on the candidates such as their education, experience or their positions on important issues facing the city. There was one public forum that received little publicity and the candidates' statements on the Burbank website are simply brief and idealistic requests for votes.

Burbank has launched a series of outreach efforts in an attempt to increase voter turnout by roughly 4% for the upcoming municipal election, officials said. Since the close of registration for the presidential election, Burbank has recruited roughly 350 new voters, according to the Los Angeles County registrar-recorder. City officials are hoping to beat the 15% voter turnout of the 2011 election - in which 8,106 out of 56,239 registered voters participated in the primary and 8,866 voted in the general election, said Interim City Clerk Zizette Mullins.

CITY HALL — The county-certified results of Tuesday's general election show that 20% of Burbank's 51,201 eligible voters returned ballots, with winning council candidates Gary Bric and Anja Reinke nearly splitting the city's 42 precincts between them. Bric edged out Reinke as the top vote-getter with 6,301 votes, just 15 ahead of Reinke's 6,286. Bric, who is serving on the Traffic and Transportation Committee, captured 20 precincts in all — with a particularly strong nexus of support in the Hillside and Northwest Districts.

Karen S. Kim BURBANK -- In a 5-0 vote Tuesday, the City Council asked that a staff report be prepared regarding the Restore Our Airport Rights initiative. The city clerk's staff has 30 days to bring the council a description of how it can call a special election. A standard election will cost the city about $75,000. The ROAR committee collected initiative petition signatures from more than 15% of Burbank's registered voters, the minimum state requirement for calling a special election.

Voter turnout in Tuesday's general election reached 18%, with 11,161 out of 60,623 registered voters participating, according to the final election results. In the City Council race, David Gordon came in first with 5,430 votes, while Jess Talamantes finished second with 5,290 votes, results show. Mayor Dave Golonski and David Nos finished with 4,571 and 4,367 votes, respectively. In the Burbank Unified school board race, winners Larry Applebaum and Charlene Tabet amassed 5,882 and 4,967 votes, respectively.

Karen S. Kim BURBANK -- In just three days, Burbank's primary election will narrow the list of candidates for City Council, city treasurer and school board down to only the front runners. Three seats for City Council, two seats for school board and one seat for city treasurer are up for grabs in this year's election. A candidate can win a seat in the Feb. 27 primary by receiving more than 50% of the votes. However, if no one wins, the number of candidates to run in the April 10 general election will be determined by doubling the number of seats that remain available after the primary, according to City Clerk Judie Sarquiz.

Voter turnout in Tuesday's general election reached 18%, with 11,161 out of 60,623 registered voters participating, according to the final election results. In the City Council race, David Gordon came in first with 5,430 votes, while Jess Talamantes finished second with 5,290 votes, results show. Mayor Dave Golonski and David Nos finished with 4,571 and 4,367 votes, respectively. In the Burbank Unified school board race, winners Larry Applebaum and Charlene Tabet amassed 5,882 and 4,967 votes, respectively.

It may have been a tiny turnout, but Burbank voters on Tuesday sent Measure S -- the $110-million school bond -- well above the 55% approval threshold needed to pass. Of the 6,595 votes counted, 4,053, or 61.5%, were in favor of the bond, according to the Los Angeles city clerk's office , which administered the election. PHOTOS: Supporters of Measure S gather at Burbank's Gordon Biersch during election night Burbank has 61,153 registered voters. But low voter turnout was expected, given that interest in the Los Angeles Community College District board of trustees election is typically tepid at best.

I believe that an electorate that votes for candidates without knowing who they are or what they stand for is harmful to the democratic process of voting. In the case of the current slate of candidates in the upcoming Burbank election, it is very difficult for voters to get pertinent information on the candidates such as their education, experience or their positions on important issues facing the city. There was one public forum that received little publicity and the candidates' statements on the Burbank website are simply brief and idealistic requests for votes.

Burbank has launched a series of outreach efforts in an attempt to increase voter turnout by roughly 4% for the upcoming municipal election, officials said. Since the close of registration for the presidential election, Burbank has recruited roughly 350 new voters, according to the Los Angeles County registrar-recorder. City officials are hoping to beat the 15% voter turnout of the 2011 election - in which 8,106 out of 56,239 registered voters participated in the primary and 8,866 voted in the general election, said Interim City Clerk Zizette Mullins.

Emily Gabel-Luddy, a member of the Burbank Planning Board who faced strong opposition from a local employees’ union, narrowly won a seat on the Burbank City Council Tuesday night, edging Burbank Police Commissioner Robert Frutos by 86 votes. The unofficial tally showed Gabel-Luddy receiving 4,400 votes to Frutos’ 4,314. The 16% voter turnout was below average for municipal elections in Burbank since 2003, but higher than the 14.3% of registered voters who cast ballots in the Feb. 22 primary.

Of the 10 precincts with the highest voter turnout in Burbank’s primary election, eight were from the hillside area, and the two City Council candidates remaining on the April 12 ballot have taken notice of that fact. Voter participation in the February primary fell 6% to 14.3%, the lowest point in recent years, according to city clerk records. With voter apathy reaching new heights, the two run-off candidates have mostly focused their campaigns on what likely will be a small pool of voters.

The voter turnout in Burbank’s primary election on Tuesday dropped by 6% from what had already been a low 20.4% participation rate two years ago, which political observers attributed to apathy and a lack of hot-button issues. Just 8,106 ballots were received by the Burbank city clerk’s office by 7 p.m. Tuesday, compared with 10,990 during the previous primary nominating election in 2009 — making for the lowest showing since implementing the mail-in ballot system in 2005, according to election returns.

City Council incumbent Gary Bric cruised to re-election on Tuesday, securing more than 50% of the vote and bypassing the April 12 general election, when candidates Emily Gabel-Luddy and Bob Frutos will face off for Mayor Anja Reinke's vacated seat. With all 42 precincts reporting, Bric received 4,642 of 8,072 votes cast in the election, followed by Gabel-Luddy with 3,845 and Frutos with 3,071. Jacqueline Waltman, a state probation official, failed to make the primary cut, with 2,131 votes.

Why people choose to show up to the polls — or choose not to — is almost as varied as the people themselves. Some can’t find the time, some don’t like any of the choices, and others just don’t care. The recent nastiness in the 43rd Assembly special election certainly did not help things, and I predict that the blizzard of mud sure to come as the next round of balloting approaches in June will only depress turnout further. But, I will admit, voter apathy is talked about so often and so frequently that many people just tune it out. A different idea is needed.

BURBANK — Voters across Burbank and Glendale helped the two cities march toward record voter turnout Nov. 4, when residents also weighed in with great enthusiasm on the state’s ballot measures. The final figures, released Monday from the Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder’s office, show high voter turnout and a clear Democratic shift in Glendale, officials said. In Glendale, voter turnout was higher than it’s been in at least eight years, with 61.8% of voters casting a ballot Nov. 4 versus 48.9% in 2000.